Four-time F1 champion undergoes surprise heart surgery

Photo: © IMAGO

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Four-time F1 champion undergoes surprise heart surgery

Flavio Briatore was formerly the Team Principal at Benetton and Renault

Shay Rogers

Saturday 30 March 2024 05:00

A former Formula 1 championship-winning boss has undergone a heart operation to fix a potentially dangerous issue.

The figure at the centre of the matter won eight total championships with Benneton and Renault between 1994 and 2006.

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He is also Fernando Alonso’s manager and has been ever since the two met in 1999 – two years before the Spaniard made his F1 debut with Minardi.

Alonso is coming to the end of his current deal with Aston Martin at the end of 2024 and may have his eyes on a seat with rival team Mercedes.

Flavio Briatore is Fernando Alonso's manager

Fernando Alonso has worked with Flavio Briatore since 1999

Is Flavio Briatore healthy now?

Speaking in a video on his Instagram, Briatore addressed the response to the health problem and stressed the importance of taking prevention measures.

"Hi everyone. Today I want to talk about prevention. 10 days ago, I went to San Raffaele hospital for a check-up and at that time they found a benign tumour in my heart,” he said.

“The doctors intervened immediately and I'm here, telling you about it. The main thing, guys, is to do the prevention, the check-up, every year.

“I did it two years ago and I didn't have this benign tumor and this year I did. We must not neglect ourselves, prevention is essential.”